Nurse Supervisor Interview Questions

List of 30 Nurse Supervisor Interview Questions & Answers

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1. 1.

   What do you feel you are uniquely bringing to the table as the new Nurse Manager?

   The Goal

   The goal of this question is to reiterate to the interviewer why you are a great fit for this job. Be sure to summarize not only your best leadership and nursing qualities but also your core values and how you will be an asset to the company.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "In addition to my clinical expertise in neurology (or whatever specific clinical setting you're applying to), I'm a very adaptive leader who is very compassionate, strategic, ambitions, kindhearted, and have a passion for my patients and my team."

2. 2.

   How do you stay organized with documentation and record keeping? What do you do when the nurses you supervise don't adhere to same organization process as you?

   Focus Your Answer On

   Walk the interviewer through your step-by-step process for ensuring patient information and notes from patient care are entered correctly. Talk about patient management systems you've used and any training you may have done on electronic healthcare management. You can even talk about your process for ensuring accurate documentation when you have limited time between patients.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I always make sure to bring my iPad (or whatever electronic advice issued by your employer) to every patient visit, make sure that I have all of the patient's records documented correctly, and verify that information with them. I always train my team on the importance of documentation of patient care, and I try to coach them on organization processes that work best for them."

3. 3.

   Have you experienced a time when you were unable to train clinical nursing staff in the use of a new piece of equipment?

   Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

   Because technology in healthcare is constantly improving and changing over time, interviewers are looking for supervisor candidates who can acknowledge their shortcomings and demonstrate a willingness to stay current with new technologies. Talk about a time where you had to go the extra mile to be the subject matter expert on a new piece of equipment you and your staff would be using moving forward.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I once had to train my nursing staff on using an electronic healthcare system (EHR) that I wasn't familiar with. So I reached out to my supervisor to ask for their input. We were able to partner with both HR and IT to create a training plan for me. They also gave me a supervisor's guide so that I could train my team properly."

4. 4.

   What is your experience in training and managing team performance?

   How to Answer

   Use this time to highlight any leadership or managerial roles that you have had in the past. This could include volunteer work and leadership positions that you may have held in your community. Be sure to give specific examples of ways that you have created and managed strong teams.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "In my last role, I was a nursing supervisor at a residential community and managed a team of 5 CNA's. I created a culture of continuous learning and helped create many training and development opportunities for my staff."

5. 5.

   How do you keep up with the constant changes in the nursing and healthcare field?

   Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

   The interviewer wants to see that you are passionate enough about what you do. They want to hire someone who is empowered to want to learn all that they can to improve their craft. Talk about conferences, seminars, etc that you've attended or have been part of that have made an impact on you and made you a better nurse.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "In addition to keeping up with my continuing education requirements for nursing certifications, I also teach workshops and classes on childbirth to new parents. I have an open dialogue with my team to understand their learning needs and interests and create training plans to help them succeed."

6. 6.

   How do you maintain work-life balance when nursing gets stressful? How do you encourage your team to do the same?

   How to Answer

   Part of what makes a good nursing supervisor is self-awareness. Knowing your limitations and knowing when to take a step back and breathe is one of the most critical skills you can have. Use this time to talk about the importance of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health and their impact on team morale which also impacts the quality of patient care.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I always make sure that I take mental health days whenever I need to and encourage my team to do the same. I also prioritize healthy eating habits, regular exercise, good sleep, and quality time with friends and family. Taking care of myself is what makes me a better nurse and empowers me even more to give excellent patient care."

7. 7.

   What are the most difficult aspects of managing a team of nurses? What are the most rewarding?

   Focus Your Answer On

   There are different team dynamics that come with managing nurses who come from various backgrounds and clinical settings. Be sure to give specific examples of how you've dealt with both the challenges and the rewards of leading such a diverse team.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "The most difficult aspect of managing a team of nurses is that everyone has come from different clinical settings, so everyone has a different approach to patient care, which can be both a challenge and a great benefit. The most rewarding part of managing a team of nurses is getting to do life with them at work every day and building strong relationships as well as coming together to save lives."

8. 8.

   What do you hope to gain from this position?

   What to Avoid

   For this answer, avoid focusing on external benefits such as compensation, flexible hours, etc. This is the time to do some soul searching and tell the interviewer about all the things you hope to accomplish.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "In addition to improving my expertise in this _(insert specialized nursing field of your interest) clinical setting, I also have dreams of becoming a Chief Nursing Officer someday. So I think this position will help make me a better leader and push me towards my dreams."

9. 9.

   How do you explain medications, treatments, or healthcare situations without using a lot of medical or healthcare jargon?

   How to Answer

   This is your chance to showcase your communication skills. Use this time to highlight how you can meet patients where they are, and present complex information to them in a way that connects with them.

    Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "Patients come from various backgrounds and usually come with their own understanding of how healthcare works. Some are not familiar with certain medical terminology, so instead of hypertension, I use the term 'high blood pressure.' I also try to provide specific and relatable examples to help my patients understand their conditions and treatment options."

10. 10.

    Retaining skilled nurses can be a challenge to manage. What steps have you taken in the past to improve retention? How effective were the changes?

    How to Answer

    Being a nurse can be a very exhausting job physically, mentally, and emotionally, and many nurses suffer from burnout. Give specific examples of methods that you have used to retain nursing talent and maintain a healthy work environment for them to thrive and provide high-quality patient care.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I'm a firm believer in providing work-life balance for my team. My first step in improving retention is to communicate with my team to see where there are barriers and how we can overcome them. Some of the retention methods I implemented in my last role included flexible shifts, shift differential pay for nurses working overnight, a generous PTO policy, team building activities, and more. As a result, we saw a 20 percent increase in nurse retention."

11. 11.

    If you were offered the job, what would you hope to accomplish in the first 90 days?

    Focus Your Answer On

    Many companies have a 30-60-90 day performance review cycle. Since you are a new supervisor to the company, you should listen and try to learn the culture and the company's operations before trying to make any changes to any processes. You could start by making a small project plan.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I would partner with leadership and my team to get a better idea of what the more urgent issues are. Then I would focus on creating a project plan to tackle the issues and be sure to involve all stakeholders in the process and gather all of the information and data that I can."

12. 12.

    Describe a time when you were particularly proud of your healthcare team. What was your role in this situation?

    How to Answer

    Describe the circumstances and actions step-by-step. describe what happened to make you feel proud. Tell the interviewer what your role was and who was involved. End your response by describing the result.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "There are countless moments that make me proud of my team and proud to be part of this community. One of my most memorable moments was hearing one of my nursing staff deliver excellent patient care education to the family members of a very serious patient using all the information she had learned in our training."

13. 13.

    What would you do if a patient complained to you about one of the nurses under your care?

    Focus Your Answer On

    When you answer this question, focus not only on your coaching style but also on your investigation and problem-solving skills. If a patient complains about one of the nurses on your team, it's your job to gather all of the information and facts before deciding whether or not this patient's claims are valid. This is called evidence-based performance management.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I would first sit down with the patient and get all of the information and documentation that I can. I always make sure that I'm asking the right questions and keeping a level head. I would then sit down with my nurses in a respectful and non-accusatory setting to get their account of what occurred. After I've gotten both sides of the story along with any documentation, I can then proceed with the best course of action."

14. 14.

    Tell me about a difficult case you handled as a nurse. How did it help you become a better nurse and how will you use these skills to support your team?

    How to Answer

    Tell the interviewer about a challenge you have faced on the job. This could be a difficult staffing decision you had to make because a member of your team did not provide adequate patient care or a situation with a difficult patient in which you had to coach your staff on the proper response.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "One of the most difficult cases I've ever had was working as a pediatric hospice nurse and having to educate the parents as well as my team on how to provide proper end-of-life care to a terminally ill child."

15. 15.

    How do you balance nursing priorities with management priorities?

    What You Need to Know

    As a nurse supervisor, it's important to remember that you don't stop being a nurse just because you are in a management role. Being a strong nurse supervisor requires both strong clinical skills and strong leadership skills, and it is essential to know how to use both skills the right way in the right context.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "As a nurse supervisor, I've had to lead code teams and make difficult staffing situations. I also have to determine patient assignments, and I try to ensure they are assigned fairly and align with both the clinical and character strengths of my team."

16. 16.

    How would you describe your leadership style?

    How to Answer

    Think about the qualities that make YOU a good leader. Consider if you are a more direct or more collaborative leader. You can also mention qualities such as enthusiasm, strong business acumen, etc. When you answer this question, be sure to ask about the culture of the workplace because it may or may not be aligned with your leadership style. Be honest about who you are as a leader.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I consider myself to be a strategic, compassionate, and empathetic leader with a passion for building high-performing teams. I believe in creating a culture of coaching and continuous feedback and making sure my team has everything they need to thrive."

17. 17.

    Tell me about a time you had to give a member of your team a negative performance review. What was the outcome?

    How to Answer

    Think about a time a staff member was not meeting the performance expectations of their job. Describe the situation to the interviewer. Give specific examples of how you coached this team member and other methods you tried to help them succeed. If possible, talk about the time and effort you put into writing the review to make a positive impact on the team member.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "Last year, I had a newer nurse that was really struggling with patient documentation in our EMR. After a few fellow nurses and one of the physicians brought the issues to my attention, I did some further investigating prior to writing my review. After finding some areas for improvement, I included a performance improvement plan as part of her review. The plan involved some 1:1 coaching from myself and one of our experienced nurses on the unit. During my actual review with the employee, I kept things very positive and reaffirmed that I had was confident in her ability to improve. From that moment forward, the employee put a lot of effort into improving her documentation and continues to be great in that aspect to this day."

18. 18.

    How do you effectively lead your team during times of change?

    Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

    Times of change can be anything from your facility being acquired or merging with another, leadership changes, or even technical changes. Every company and every department within a company goes through change, and it's your responsibility as a leader to ensure that your team is not only prepared for change but can also thrive during times of change.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "My facility recently transitioned from manual documentation of patient care to electronic documentation. To ensure that my team was properly trained, I collaborated with our IT department to hold various hands-on training sessions for those who were not as computer savvy. We also created training manuals and did mock documentation sessions as well."

19. 19.

    How do you deal with conflicts between team members? What are some guidelines you put into place to keep peace among your team?

    Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

    Managing conflict between team members is part of the job of every leader. Conflict resolution is easier when you understand the causes of conflict and remember that open communication is always key.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "As a leader, I don't wait until problems explode and start impacting patient care before I get involved. I try to identify potential conflicts before they happen. I always remain calm, communicate with both parties, suggest solutions, and encourage my team to always be respectful of each other."

20. 20.

    Describe a time you and a doctor had to collaborate. Was there conflict? If so, what did you do to resolve the issue?

    What to Avoid

    Although the relationship between doctors and nurses can get tough at times since doctors tend to have the reputation of being difficult to work with, avoid focusing on the negative aspects of your relationship (questioning his character, shifting blame, etc).

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "At my previous facility, I was working on the cardiovascular floor, and the cardiologist on call disagreed with me about the proper care for a patient who had just had double bypass surgery. We managed to use our creative differences as an advantage and gave the patient the treatment which resulted in a successful recovery."

21. 21.

    What interests you most about this facility and this particular clinical setting?

    Focus Your Answer On

    Talk about the specific clinical areas of nursing you feel you are most passionate about (pediatrics, trauma, oncology, etc) and how you feel the company's mission and clinical expertise complement those passions.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "Every since I was a student in nursing school, I knew that your cardiovascular clinic was where I wanted to spend the rest of my career. I did many clinical rotations and internships in various cardiovascular settings. Heart disease runs in my family, so I always knew that this was the area of nursing that I wanted to be in."

22. 22.

    Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems with a patient and you conducted preventative measures.

    What You Should Say

    Focus on your step-by-step process of problem-solving, risk management, and preventing potential issues before they happen. Examples could include recognizing symptoms of a particular disease early on and putting together a care team to deliver the best care.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I once had a patient who was experiencing symptoms of MS, but luckily they were still mild. So I analyzed the patient's medical history and put together a care team of specialists and social workers to make sure that the symptoms were managed and that the patient could still have a strong quality of life."

23. 23.

    Can you describe a time you implemented a new program of study?

    Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

    The interviewer is asking this question because they are looking for candidates who demonstrate creative thinking skills as well as current knowledge of clinical nursing practices and procedures. They'll also be looking to hear that you can successfully implement a new training for your staff in your answer.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "While working a pediatric oncology clinic, I developed a quality of life program made up of medical social workers that focused on helping kids still be kids despite their terminal illnesses. Having a very caring group of nurses, my team really embraced the program and our patients and families felt a very positive impact from our nursing staff."

24. 24.

    What types of patients did you deal with as a nurse? What is the typical volume of patients you handle each shift?

    Remember To

    Remember that you don't stop being a nurse when you reach a supervisor level. Instead, you use your nursing skills more strategically. Sometimes being a nurse supervisor means having to take on a patient load if you are at a short-staffed facility. For this question, remember to focus on the balance between being in leadership and providing hands-on patient care.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "While working in the Oncology Unit, I dealt with patients who had everything from lung cancer to cancer of the bones. Because I was a supervisor I had a smaller caseload of three patients because we were still a small facility, and I still had to be very hands-on and help provide patient care."

25. 25.

    Give me an example of a time you improved efficiency in clinical operations. What was the outcome?

    How to Answer

    This can be a pretty loaded question, but try not to be overwhelmed by trying to think of a big spectacular thing you did to improve efficiency. Improving efficiency can also come through small improvements made over a longer period but still made a great impact.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I created a clinical rotation program at our facility for student nurses. Our team of nurse leaders would take turns mentoring nursing students and helping them through their rotations. It was such a success that we hired many of the nursing students after they graduated and passed their licensure. Building a pipeline of clinical talent by partnering with local universities helped solve our staffing shortage."

26. 26.

    What do you find is the hardest part of being a nurse?

    Avoid This

    Avoid saying things like 'lack of sleep' or 'difficulty maintaining positive relationships with doctors.' Feel free to be honest about the things you struggle with, but do it in a way that shows both your humanity and your leadership. As well, don't hesitate to talk about ways you try to make this part of the job better for yourself.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "For me, the hardest part of being a nurse is working with a patient that is near the end of their life. I tend to wonder if there is anything more that I could have done to help make their care better. I have to remind myself that I did all that I could to help them have the best quality of life and treatment."

27. 27.

    Imagine that, during your shift, multiple patients are having emergencies at once. How would you address this situation? Please explain your reasoning.

    Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

    The purpose of this question is to test your approach to crisis management, and having multiple crises all at once is as intense as it can get. But don't get overwhelmed; take your time and think through your actions and processes.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "If multiple patients are having emergencies all at once, I tell my team that it's all hands on deck. I would try to jump in when I could and delegate when I have to. When a patient's life is on the line, there is not a lot of time to hold a team meeting, so I have to think fast but still be calm and rational."

28. 28.

    Please describe a typical day in the working life of a Nurse Manager.

    Focus Your Answer On

    This is a great time to hone in on how you structure your day as a nurse supervisor. It could begin with a team meeting, checking in on nurses and patients from the previous shift, etc.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I always begin my day with a morning check with both my nursing staff and patients. I also try to check in with nurses who worked the previous shift. My mornings are usually filled with a mixture of leadership meetings and patient care. I also try to work on project plans and strategic goals."

29. 29.

    Explain how you deal with a patient who is aggressive and refuses medication.

    How to Answer

    Talk about any methods you use to calm a patient down. Consider if the patient is fearful, if they understand their need for medication, what the root cause behind their aggressiveness is. These are questions to think about when asked this interview question.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I first try to see if I can get to the root cause of the patient's aggression. I talk to them first to see what their concerns are and try to ease their fears. But sometimes, despite their aggression, they still have to take a certain medication if they have a serious condition."

30. 30.

    What do you think are the major challenges you will face in this job?

    What to Avoid

    No company is perfect, so avoid providing a long list of things that are wrong with the company. Focus on the things you've already learned about the company. Try not to base this answer on gossip you may have heard.

     Answer Example

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Brittanie Young wrote: "I think the biggest challenge for me would be learning a different patient demographic. This clinic serves a very large Hispanic population due to the location, so learning their needs and trying to learn Spanish will be a challenge, but it's one I'm sure will reap great rewards."